Four Variations on ‘Artificial Society’

Universal Eyes started as Universal Indians in Lansing Michigan, in the early shadows of the 90s, with Gretchen Gonzales (now Gonzales Davidson), Bryan ‘Rammer’ Ramirez and Johnny ‘Inzane’ Olson. The trio started as a Jesse Harper cover band and managed to play every single basement that had a power outlet in the tri-county area. After moving to the Detroit area in the late 90s, Rammer was replaced by Aaron Dilloway and also joined by Nathan Young - a duo that were already in the throes of primitive electronic global domination as Wolf Eyes. The collective quartet played every basement, art space, record store and club in the metro area that had a power outlet and could also handle the Michigan Progressive Underground audio sprawl.

Around the dawn of the 2000s Gretchen went full time with the moody and cold stylings of Slumber Party and, after a wild Bowling Green Ohio gig, Olson joined Wolf Eyes full time. After some drama that would make even Fleetwood Mac blush, Universal Indians appeared to have faded into the packed history book pages of Michigan musical lore. As age and time seem to dust over wounds while magically healing them, the quartet met again in the northern suburbs of metro Detroit on a brisk spring Sunday in 2018. They hauled modern and ancient instruments into a home studio and just like that: the dream / nightmare had hot blood pumping thru its duct-taped sound body once again, as if the missing years were nothing but a minute hurdle. Four Variations On ‘Artificial Society’is the nearly exact document of this unholy reunion captured in full detail by Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive).